Learn Turkish: Hastayım. Geçmiş olsun! - I am sick. Get well soon!

The word hasta (sick) ends in a vowel, and the suffix for 'I am' (-ım) starts with a vowel. In Turkish, you usually cannot put two vowels right next to each other, so the buffer letter y is added to connect them smoothly.

Do I need to say ben hastayım to mean 'I am sick'?

No, hastayım is enough on its own! The ending -ım already means 'I am.' You can say ben hastayım, but native speakers usually drop the ben unless they want to emphasize that they are the one who is sick.

Does geçmiş olsun literally translate to 'get well soon'?

Not exactly. Literally, it means 'may it be past' or 'let it pass.' It is the most common set phrase used to wish someone a quick recovery. You can also use it to offer sympathy when someone has just gone through a stressful or bad experience.

What does the olsun part of the phrase do?

Olsun comes from the verb olmak (to be). The ending -sun makes it a wish or a command meaning 'let it be' or 'may it be.' You will see this same word in other common Turkish wishes, like afiyet olsun (enjoy your meal).